U.S. and Chinese defense secretaries met Friday for the first face-to-face talks since President Joe Biden began his administration in an effort to ensure that broader tensions between the two countries do not escalate into military incidents, officials said.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chinese National Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe met in Singapore on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's premier security meeting. They had previously spoken by telephone in April.

Before the meeting, a senior U.S. official said the focus would be on trying to build barriers in the tense relationship between the two countries, CNN reported.

Chinese media also reported that Beijing is using the meeting to discuss cooperation with the U.S.